BREAKING: Nine Occupy Augusta Members Arrested At Blaine House

Nine Occupy Augusta members were arrested when they refused to leave the grounds of the Blaine House during a rally Sunday afternoon.

Occupy Augusta protesters took down their tents and packed their camping gear earlier in the day after being told to get a permit or move their shelters out of the state-owned Capitol Park.

By the afternoon, more than a dozen of the protesters relocated across the street to the governor’s mansion, where they held signs near the entrances and banged on a large drum. State troopers maintained positions near the Blaine House doors before making arrests.

Kennebec County deputies transported the protesters to the county jail,according to the Kennebec Journal. They have been charged with criminal trespassing and failure to disperse.

Capitol Police had allowed the protesters to stay in the park near the State House since Oct. 15, but Capitol Police Chief Russ Gauvin told the demonstrators Friday they need to apply for a permit by Monday.